Effective & Trusted Medications Guide » 2008 » September
Is it possible to have depression and anxiety at the same time?
Although anxiety and depression are regarded as two distinct disorders by psychiatrists, it is quite common to have both at the same time.
Anxiety disorders can take many different forms — including panic attacks, specific phobias, generalized anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder — each with its own distinct set of symptoms.
However, depression is generally categorized by a core set of symptoms, including pervasive sadness, fatigue, irritability, sleep difficulties, decreased interest in usually enjoyable activities and sometimes suicidal thoughts.
You have been treated for severe depression for many years. In the last several years, the depression has become more difficult to control with antidepressants. You have had several suicide attempts and been hospitalized. Now, you’re being told that you have bipolar disorder. How is this possible? Can depression turn into bipolar disorder?
Unfortunately, some types of bipolar disorder are commonly misdiagnosed as depression. Despite the fact that doctors are becomingly increasingly sophisticated in their understanding of mood disorders, making a diagnosis of bipolar disorder can in certain circumstances be challenging — even for the most experienced doctors.
Bipolar disorder was once thought to represent clear alternating patterns of extreme emotional highs and lows. But researchers are beginning to understand the subtle presentations of bipolar disorder in addition to the well-known, not-so-subtle behavioral patterns seen in some bipolar individuals. This has given rise to the term “bipolar spectrum disorders.”
What role do antidepressants play in bipolar disorder treatment? Is it true they can worsen symptoms?
The role of antidepressants in bipolar disorder treatment remains somewhat controversial.
There is some concern that treating a person with bipolar disorder who is in a depressed phase with an antidepressant alone may transform that depression into mania with potential adverse consequences, such as a suicidal behavior. In addition, certain antidepressants may carry a greater risk of this than do others.
For these reasons, some psychiatrists have been very cautious in the use of antidepressants in people with bipolar disorder. Instead, they have opted to use antidepressants in combination with mood stabilizers or to not use antidepressants and to use mood stabilizers alone or in combination with neuroleptic drugs approved for bipolar disorder treatment.